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Sunday, August 16, 2009

I was cc'ed on the following announcement by Vince Schmuki from WIN, the group behind the failed effort to recall Governor Doyle:

TO THE W.I.N. MEMBERSHIP/ RECALL DOYLE TEAM and Media:

If the news as reported in today's Journal Sentinel turns out to be true, give all of yourselves a collective pat on the back. You, through all of your tireless efforts, helped to bring down one of the most well entrenched governors in history!

I always new that it was a possiblity that we could intimidate Jim Doyle into retiring from WI politics and we may never know how large or small a role we played in his final decision but I guarantee you that our latest P.I.E. strategy was the cherry on the sundae. This guy had skeletons in his closet that he didn't want anyone to ever see and we were about to bring them out for the whole world to see.

My heartfelt thanks to each and everyone of you, including those no longer active with us, for your citizen activist role in making this happen. Ordinary people, such as the 6000 of you from our Recall Doyle effort, do make the difference! TODAY YOU SHINE!

Sincerely,VinceVince Schmuki/ Representing WIN-Wisconsinites Interest Now For the Recall Doyle Team

Let's be serious for a moment here. Unless I hear differently from the governor himself, there is no reason to believe that the failed recall effort that did not even get to the signature-gathering stage had any impact on Governor Doyle's decision to not seek re-election. If anything, their failure to capture the attention of the state would have been a thumb on the scale in favor of running again. It would be as if Churchill claimed the attack on Gallipoli forced the Turks to surrender.

The recall was a mistaken effort with nothing to show for it except for some frustrated volunteers and lost productive time. Perhaps before someone listens to CRG and considers recalling a public official, they should consider this debacle - and the Sullivan debacle - first. Or they could just read my columns and blog posts on when a recall is appropriate.